The Autobiography of Michel De Montaigne (Nonpareil Books) [Paperback]

Marvin Lowenthal (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1567920985 | ISBN-13: 978-1567920987 | Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Everyone acknowledges the Essays of Michel de Montaigne as one of the glories of civilized thought. But in this volume, Marvin Lowenthal has drawn from his letters, essays, travel writings, and manuscripts to create a biography of his life told in his own words, thereby fulfilling Montaigne s intention of presenting his self-portrait to the world. For it was Montaigne who wrote, My book and I are one, and into his writing he poured the amazing varieties of his perceptions, his unflinching powers of observation and analysis, and his deeply felt love of humanity in all its messy contrariness. Above his desk, on a beam on his ceiling, were inscribed the words nihil humani alieni mihi puto : nothing human is alien to me and nothing was, for into his writing he distilled his tender heart and biting wit, his nonsense and wisdom, his passions and his hates. By collecting and arranging these autobiographical passages into a unified whole, Lowenthal has framed a complete portrait in this rich and rewarding book. All of Montaigne is here: his adventures and love affairs, his marriage, travels, tastes, and opinions. Seldom has so much wit, wisdom, and pure entertainment been packed into a single volume.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Editor Lowenthal sawed through the philosopher's entire canon to whittle this more manageable portrait of Montaigne's life, which was released in 1935. While telling his own story, Montaigne also waxes on religion, law, and travel, among numerous other subjects.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A country-gentleman of the days of Henry III, who was a wise man in a century of ignorance, a philosopher in an age of fanatics, and who painted in the guise of himself our own follies and frailties, is a man who will be loved forever. --Voltaire

Montaigne is really the first modern writer the first who showed that an author might be original and charming, even classical, if he did not try too hard. --James Russell Lowell

That such a man has written truly increases the pleasure of living...It is by his side I would range myself if I had to acclimate myself to this world.
--Nietzsche


Montaigne is the frankest and honestest of all writers... He had the genius to make the reader care for all that he cares for... I know not anywhere the book that seems less written cut these words and they would bleed. --Emerson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: David R Godine (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567920985
• ISBN-13: 978-1567920987
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,634,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book with an Impossible Task, May 3, 2001

By 

Caitlin O'Donnell (Philadelphia PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autobiography of Michel De Montaigne (Nonpareil Books) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book, so long as you understand what you are dealing with. While it is true that Montaigne did not write an autobiography (indeed this would have been unusual to say the least) he was most careful about his writing--for example he would not erase any passages or writings. Therefore, Montaigne's writings are a wealth of information about a man, and when put together carefully provide a good portrait of the man. Perhaps not technically an autobiography, nevertheless I think that Montaigne would have appreciated Lowenthal's effort.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars NOT an autobiography, April 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Autobiography of Michel De Montaigne (Nonpareil Books) (Paperback)

Do not be misled. This is NOT Montaigne's autobiography. Montaigne did not write an autobiography. (Who did, before Rousseau, 200 years later? Besides St. Agustuine.) This book (originally published in 1935) is a cut-and-paste collection of passages from the "Essays," and from M's letters and diaries, notes, and journals, arranged AS IF constituting a deliberately composed autobiography. ("Aided by scissors, paste, and patience, I have let him retell his life story," the editor says.) Useful, I suppose, in getting some sense of the order of events in M's life. On the other hand, the book is not annotated, so you have no idea where any particular passage might have come from. Consequently, irritating, if you care anything about the original form and literary purpose of what Montaigne actually wrote.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars wisdom from the past, April 3, 2009

By 

Kenneth Masong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of Michel De Montaigne (Nonpareil Books) (Paperback)

A must-read for those seeking wisdom in the everyday-ness of life. M. de Montaigne's words are both humorous and profound, crisply translated and arranged by M. Lowenthal that make of the book a pleasant read, not just to pass the time but to get something out of it. It honestly leads one to the desired effect, to take up and read M. de Montaigne's book Essays itself to continue drinking from his fount of wisdom.